Here’s a mask that influences a person’s mood … and even their sex drive

The amount of information and stimuli that surround us is increasing. Many of them can subconsciously influence our actions, we often even deal with manipulations that we have no idea about. To see how much technology can affect our well-being and decisions, a Chinese artist and MIT graduate created an intriguing mask.

Xin Liu, because that is the name of the author of the project, used headphones with bone conduction and a sensor placed right under her nose. The sensor transmits the noise of the user to their own breathing, which translates into different well-being. Although Masque has no physical effects, the person using it may, for example, feel relaxed, sad and even “horny”.

The appearance of the mask was inspired by Italian carnival costumes. The electronics are cleverly hidden in it, so the user may not even be aware of the influence of the gadget on him. During the tests, the volunteers were divided into two groups: the one who was given rapid breathing sounds experienced a much higher level of anxiety. In another test, the principles of which were similar, the men had to rate the attractiveness of 14 women. Thanks to the higher frequency of sound, the gentlemen liked the girls presented in the photos much more.

Liu does not plan a commercial version of her product, but hopes that her concept will be used, for example, in the production of meditation devices. In addition, the artist hopes to notice the problem of imperceptible manipulation of people’s minds by the technology surrounding them.

[Źródło: digitaltrends.com i MIT; grafiki: Xin Liu, Hongxin Zhang/MIT Media Lab]